Follow the author of this article

Follow the topics within this article

Shoppers stepped up spending in October, reinforcing Britain’s consumer-led economic growth which has surprised economists with its strength since the Brexit vote, according to figures from KPMG and the British Retail Consortium.

At the same time house prices increased by 1.4pc in the month, the fastest pace since March and a new sign that demand does still exist in the market - despite the distortion caused by the stamp duty hike in April, and the dent in confidence in the wake of the referendum.

Retail sales increased by 2.4pc on the year, the strongest rise since January and an indication of positive sentiment among households.